Page 47 of Time Out

“Then let’s go.”

I helped him clean up dinner, not that there was much besides our plates and a couple of glasses. As late as it was getting, his happiness had caused a spike in my own energy levels. I could hang out with him for a few hours, until he got word.

And I wouldn’t tell him I had an excuse for wanting to be there for the news, too.

He was having a niece soon—and it’d be our child’s cousin. I wanted to know who they’d grow up playing with.

Lou’s was surprisingly quiet when we entered. Seemed like we hit at the perfect time, after the dinner rush and before the late-night drinking rush started, so as Davis and I wove through the tables straight to the bar, Lou spotted us when we were halfway there.

“Well look who the cat drug in,” he said and flung a towel over his shoulder. “This is a surprise.”

“Hi Lou.”

“Miss Maggie, isn’t it?” His dark eyes slid from me to Davis and back again. “How’d this happen?”

Well… see I’d gotten knocked up and tracked down the running back…

“We’re friends, Lou. It happens.”

Davis slid out a stool and waited until I climbed up into mine before taking the seat next to me.

Lou’s bushy gray brows tugged together. “People are friends with you? By choice?”

“Back off.” Davis laughed and his hands slapped the bar top. “Annie’s in labor, and I came for a drink.”

“Well hot damn. Guess that means I’ll be nice to you for tonight only. What can I getcha?”

Davis glanced at me. “I’ll have a lemonade.”

“Got it. You?” He turned to Davis.

“I’ll take a tequila sunrise.”

“What’s that?” I asked when Lou turned his back to start making the drink.

Despite the fact I’d met him here, that night hadn’t exactly been a typical one for me. Not only did I rarely drink, going home with a stranger had only happened a couple times since I’d moved to Nashville. At first, I’d been so mad at my family, so devastated, I’d tried to rebel against all of their teachings to prove to myself how wrong they were. While it helped me see a different view, there were some things too deeply ingrained in me. While I didn’t think I was going to hell for having sex before marriage, I had recognized that at least for me, there had to be an emotional connection.

Which was why I’d gone home with Davis. I’d never felt so comfortable around another man, especially as quickly as I had him.

That hadn’t changed either because even sitting next to him now, I could feel the heat of his body, knew the strength and tenderness of it so well keeping my hands to myself was a new lesson in self-control.

“Annie’s favorite drink is tequila. In margarita form usually, but this will work for now. Plus, she’ll give me so much shit when I send her a picture of me with the drink.”

“Tell me about her. And your nephews.”

“Well that’s easy. They’re all assholes, every single one of them, sisters included.” He laughed, and it was clear he didn’t mean it. But that didn’t stop him from telling me.

Annie and Avery were four and five years older than him. He’d been born the baby to two sisters who took their big sister role seriously and hovered endlessly.

“You know how people always say that like it’s a big brother’s job to protect their little sister, keep them safe?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, big sisters are so much worse.”

“I could see that.” I’d been protective of my own little siblings much more than Jed and Zach had been with me. “What’d they do?”

“Um. My freshman year of high school, Avery was a senior in high school and Annie was a freshman at the University of Nebraska. She came home for the weekend to see me and both of them went with my parents to a friend’s house for pre-homecoming pictures.”

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